Afghan reconciliation plan needs more clarity: Kerry

The reconciliation plan mooted by the Afghanistan government and the Taliban needs more explanation and has to be further defined, U.S. Senator John Kerry has said.

A peace plan by Kabul, backed by Washington and the NATO, includes reintegrating mid-level Taliban fighters and mending ways with some leaders of the hard-line movement after 10 years.

Kerry, who said the U.S. would only agree to reconciliation if all conditions were met signaled that Washington is not entirely ready to accept the plan.

Taliban have rejected any peace talks with the Afghan government until all foreign troops have left the country, according to Reuters.

“Reconciliation also cannot come at the cost of giving up hard-won rights for women and other sectors of Afghan society,” Kerry said, according to the agency.

Women’s right has not been addressed publicly in reconciliation plans by Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Kerry said he was assured by Karzai and General David Petraeus, the U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, that the security situation had improved despite violence being at its worst in 10 years.